The corn dog is a very popular food item. Typically, the corn dog will have the meat portion formed in a long cylindrical shape like a hot dog with the corn batter on the outer surface thereof. A wooden or plastic stick will be inserted in one end of the meat portion to form a handle to allow the consumer to hold the corn dog while it is being eaten.
In part because of the handle or stick, in the past it has been necessary to orient the corn dog manually on a production line for placement in its packaging. With a relatively heavy, larger diameter meat portion and a relatively light smaller diameter stick, it has been found necessary to use manual labor to properly orient the corn dog moving down a conveyor belt before it is inserted into the packaging for shipment to the vendor or customer.
A need exists to improve the packaging technology for corn dogs to reduce the requirement for manual labor. By automating such a process, the cost of packaging can be significantly reduced. Further, less need for human contact increases the sterility of the packaging process.